Success on 1.5-mile ovals will decide title

For the third straight season, the IZOD IndyCar Series championship will be decided on a 1.5-mile oval, but for the first time the title will be decided at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

While neither Dario Franchitti nor Will Power has raced on the 1.5-mile oval at LVMS, both have had recent success at a similar oval – Texas Motor Speedway – where they split the Firestone Twin 275s in June.

Franchitti has the upper-hand in oval wins (15-1) with four of those victories coming on 1.5-mile ovals. In championship-deciding races, Franchitti has also shined, clinching his first two IZOD IndyCar Series titles in 1.5-mile events (Chicagoland 2007 and Homestead 2009).

But both drivers have the same goal at Las Vegas. Do the best they can and try to beat the competition to win the title.

"You never give up," said Franchitti, who leads Power by 18 points entering Vegas.. " Until it's mathematically impossible, you haven't lost it or you haven't won it. Just kept our head down and did our job."

CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS ON 2011 1.5 MILE OVALS

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Las Vegas Indy 300, the main event of the IZOD INDYCAR World Championship Presented by Honda, on Oct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race will be televised live by ABC at 3 p.m. The race will be broadcast by the IMS Radio Network on XM 94. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Las Vegas 100 on Oct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.